Concrete Angel
by Darktiger2
Summary: Leo meets a strange girl in the park one night. But is there more to this girl then meets the eye? And why is she so interested in Leo? THe turtles' are about to find out! --Takes place when they are 12.--COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Turtles don't belong to me, and also the song doesn't belong to me either. This story is based on the song "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride.  
  
**Warning:** Major angst for everyone.  
  
This takes place when the turtles are 12.  
  
'Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity' --My own quote (you'll understand later.)  
  
..........................................................................................  
  
Leo sat on a bench swinging his legs. Sighing, he looked up at the starry sky. Once again, he found himself to be in one of New York's parks. It was dark now, so he didn't have to worry about being seen by humans.  
  
Suddenly, he heard faint sobbing. Jolting out of his thoughts, the twelve- year-old turtle went to investigate.  
  
On a bench a bit further away, sat a lone figure. Leo hesitated for a second, but the girl's heart-wrenching sobbing was enough to make up Leo's mind.  
  
"Umm...are you okay?" Leo hesitantly asked the figure, making sure to stay in the shadows.  
  
The figure quickly turned around and looked towards where Leo was standing. And to Leo's surprise, the figure was a girl. A small girl, around his age, Leo guessed.  
  
She had long, brown hair and dark, brown eyes. She had a small, but pretty little face, however, right now it was tear-streaked. She wore a dark blue night gown with a pair of torn jeans underneath.  
  
"Who...who's there??" She whispered, her eyes darting franticly back and forth searching for whoever had spoken.  
  
"My name's Leo. What's yours?"  
  
The girl hesitated for a second before answering shyly, "Rebecca."  
  
"What are you doing out here Rebecca?" Leo said without thinking.  
  
At Rebecca's downcast look, he quickly added, "Sorry. I guess it's not my business. It's just that..."  
  
"It's okay, really." Rebecca said, smiling a little. "Why don't you come sit beside me? I'd like to see you."

Leo winced. "Trust me, you don't."  
  
Rebecca looked confused. "Why?"  
  
"Umm...well..."  
  
"Why don't you give me a shot?"  
  
"I don't wanna scare you...."  
  
"Trust me, I've seen weirder things in my lifetime."  
  
Leo hesitated. "Well...okay..." Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped out into the light.  
  
Hearing a gasp from Rebecca, he quickly retreated into the shadows and made to run, but someone grabbed his wrist.  
  
Looking back, he saw Rebecca's smiling face. "It's okay." She whispered.  
  
And Leo allowed her to lead him back to the bench where she had been sitting.  
  
"Umm...so I guess you don't meet a lot of humans do you?" Rebecca asked in a poor attempt to start a conversation.  
  
Leo gave a dry chuckle. "With me looking like this, I tend to _avoid_ humans as much as I can. You're the first one who's ever seen me."  
  
Rebecca laughed. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. And I kinda expected it to go a bit differently."  
  
"Oh, like me running off, screaming like a maniac?"  
  
"Maybe not exactly like that, but yeah."  
  
"So, what are you doing out here?"  
  
The question caught Leo off guard. "What??"  
  
"Sorry. I guess it's not any of my business."  
  
"Nah. It's okay. You just caught me off guard. Say, if I tell you, will you tell me what you're doing out here?"  
  
Rebecca smiled. "Sure!" Leo grinned. "I'll go first. Umm...I kinda got into a fight with my brothers—"  
  
"There are more like you??"  
  
"Yeah, three more, who are younger than me, plus a giant rat who is kind of like a father to us."  
  
"Wow!"  
  
"Anyways, we got into a fight because, well, I don't know but I guess I just feel a bit used sometimes."  
  
Seeing the confused look on Rebecca's face, Leo explained.  
  
"I mean, I guess I just feel like I have too many things to do and too little time to do it. And it doesn't help that the others aren't helping me." Leo thought for a second before laughing. "Now that I think about it, it seems kind of like a stupid reason to fight over."  
  
Rebecca put a hand onto his shoulder. Smiling reassuringly, she whispered, "I don't think so."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Everyone needs to have a little time to themselves. Seems like your brothers are abusing their own times and dumping what needs to be done onto you."  
  
Leo cocked his head. "Well, I wouldn't call it _abusing_, but that is what they basically do. Anyway, I had enough and ran here where I met you!"  
  
Rebecca laughed at the last part. "So I guess it's my turn. Basically, I get abused by my parents..."  
  
Leo interrupted, wide-eyed. "Abused! _Abused_! Who'd be mean enough to abuse a sweet girl like you?"  
  
Rebecca blushed. "Well, they do and I sneaked out for a little time alone."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. It's okay."  
  
"No it's not! It's never okay to be abused!"  
  
Rebecca smiled wearily. "Don't worry, my aunt and uncle are coming in three days and have promised to take me away."  
  
Leo smiled. "That's great!" Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't so dark out anymore.  
  
"Oh, oh. It's dawn. Sensei, um...the rat I told you about? Well, he's sort of a mentor as well. Anyway, he doesn't know I sneaked out. I'm not supposed to be outside! I've got to go!"  
  
Rebecca looked sad. "Yeah. You'd better go."  
  
Leo looked at her. "Don't worry, I'll come back tomorrow!"  
  
Rebecca brightened. "Same time, same place?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
.......................................................................................  
  
Well. That sucked as a prologue. But you have to start a story somehow, right?  
  
Don't worry, I'M GONNA CONTINUE WORKING ON MY OTHER PROJECTS. Just that this idea has been buggin' me for months and I should know by experience that you should NEVER ignore a muse.  
  
Read and Review please!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Read the Prologue for it. = P  
  
_Blablabla_ = song [Concrete Angel by Martina McBride]  
  
**Warning**: Major angst for everyone  
  
This takes place when the turtles are 12.  
  
'Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity' --My own quote (you'll understand later.)  
  
Many thanks to those who reviewed. I will update most of my stories as soon as I can. Right now, I need a break.  
  
..........................................................................................  
  
Leo ran across the silent park of New York, searching for the place where he had agreed to meet Rebecca.  
  
And as he turned on a corner, he saw her. Rebecca was sitting on the same bench, under the light she had been sitting on yesterday.  
  
"Hey!" Leo called out, slowing to a walk.  
  
Rebecca, who was wearing the same thing as yesterday, turned around and smiled at him. "Hey Leo!" She called back. "I wondered when you'd be showing up!"  
  
"Sorry. I kinda got into another fight with my brothers and Sensei sort-of had to punish us for that."  
  
"Ouch. I'm sorry."  
  
"Nah. It's okay." Leo replied, sitting down beside Rebecca. "So, how are you?"  
  
Rebecca smiled. "I'm fine...my parents were too drunk to abuse me today, so I got to sneak out early."  
  
"That's great!"  
  
Rebecca smiled a happy, but a secretive smile. Leo didn't notice.  
  
"Wow! The sky's so pretty tonight!" He whispered looking up at the night sky.  
  
Rebecca nodded. Then she turned towards Leo. "Do you know how to dance?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Rebecca laughed. "Do you know how to dance?" She repeated. Leo scratched his head. "Umm...no...sorry." He replied sheepishly.  
  
Rebecca giggled. "That's okay. I'll teach you!"  
  
Leo looked confused as Rebecca reached beside her and took out a mini-cd player.  
  
"I kinda had to sneak this from home, but my parents won't care." She explained, turning it on. Then she held out her hand as an invitation.  
  
Leo hesitated for a second, before taking it.  
  
Both of them jumped down from the bench and moved a bit further away from it as music began to play.  
  
_She walks to school with the lunch she packed,_  
  
Rebecca smiled as she took Leo's other hand. "I love this song." She whispered. "It fits me so much!" [Hint, Hint]  
  
_ Nobody knows what she's holding back,_  
  
Both she and Leo began to do a slow waltz (I think that's the dance when you twirl round and round, right?). Rebecca was doing the waltz in a graceful manner, and Leo trying to mimic her moves.  
  
_Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday,  
  
She hides the bruises with the linen and lace._  
  
Leo began to get the moves of the dance. He smiled.  
  
_ The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask,  
  
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask,  
_  
Rebecca caught his eyes and smiled as well.  
  
_Bearing the burden of a secret storm,  
  
Sometimes she wishes she was never born.  
_  
"It's a very pretty song." Leo said.  
  
_Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,  
  
In a world that she can't rise above,_  
  
"Yeah." Rebecca answered.

_But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's  
loved,  
  
Concrete Angel._  
  
Rebecca smiled a sad smile at the last line, before twirling again.  
  
_Somebody cries in the middle of the night,  
  
The neighbors hear but they turn out their light,_  
  
"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked to Leo. He had a faraway look in his eyes.  
  
_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate,  
  
When mornin' comes it'll be too late._  
  
"Nothing. I'm just thinking." Leo answered, stopping the dance. Rebecca stopped as well.  
  
_Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,  
  
In a world that she can't rise above,  
  
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's  
loved,  
  
Concrete Angel._  
  
Leo finally couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry!" He blurred out. Rebecca looked at him in surprise before she understood.  
  
_A statue stands in a shaded place,  
  
An angel girl with an upturned face,_  
  
"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm really glad that I've met you. Yesterday and today have been great!" She said. Leo looked at her. "Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
_ A name is written on a polished rock,  
  
A broken heart that the world forgot.  
  
Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,  
  
In a world that she can't rise above,  
  
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's  
loved,  
  
Concrete Angel......_  
  
Rebecca smiled and plopped down onto the grass. Leo plopped down beside her.  
  
"Are _you_ okay?"  
  
Leo looked at her surprised. "Huh?"  
  
"You've got a troubled look on you again. Something's troubling you and it's not me."  
  
Leo laughed. "Oh! It's nothing."  
  
Rebecca sat up and glared at him.  
  
"Okay! Okay! Maybe it isn't nothing." Leo answered smiling. Rebecca dropped her glare and quietly asked, "It's your family, isn't it?"  
  
Leo flinched. "Yeah. Remember what I told you yesterday?"  
  
Rebecca nodded.  
  
"Well, it's been going on like that for the past few months. And since I'm the elder brother, I'm expected to take care of my family. Now don't get me wrong, I'm fine with that..." Leo quickly added. "I mean...Sensei spends most of his time either teaching us or looking for food. And well...he doesn't really have time to play with us or put us to bed or stuff like that."  
  
Rebecca nodded again to show she understood.  
  
"And, well, I'm sort-of expected to do all that. I mean, to entertain my little brothers, put them to bed, make sure they don't do anything stupid, and at the same time make sure to do all the house-hold chores. Mine, since I'm the eldest, I am usually expected to do the laundry _(well, when there is any)_ and make the food, for Sensei isn't usually home in time to do that. Plus I have to make sure we all do our daily training and stuff, make sure all chores get done properly, break up any fights between us, chase after my brothers when they sneak off. And well, the next thing I know is that it's time for bed. And I got nothing that I wanted to do on my own, done.  
  
"But now, my brothers have taken the bad habit of running off when chores are needed to be done, leaving me to do them. Because if they don't get done by the time Sensei arrives home, he'll blame me for not disciplining them enough and give me extra chores to do. I mean, I maybe the eldest, but I'm also expected to be perfect in everything!"  
  
Rebecca winced. "Ouch. Must be tiring."  
  
Leo nodded. "Real tiring."  
  
Rebecca gave him a sympathetic look. "Looks to me like you're being mentally abused."  
  
Leo looked at her. "What's that?"  
  
"Mentally abused is like being emotionally abused. You know, when people expect too much of you, and force you to try to reach goals that are impossible. Like being perfect. No one can be perfect!"  
  
Leo scratched his head. "Nah. I don't think Sensei would do that to me! I'm just being overly sensitive!"  
  
Rebecca shook her head. "No. I don't think so."  
  
Leo glared at her. "Sensei would **_NEVER_** abuse us!" He yelled, making Rebecca wince. "Whoops. Sorry Rebecca. I guess I just got a little angry. Didn't mean to yell like that..."  
  
Rebecca smiled a small smile. "Nah. It's okay."  
  
Leo smiled in relief and looked up at the sky. "Sorry Rebecca, but I've got to go. But I'll be back tomorrow 'kay?"  
  
Rebecca nodded happily. "Same place, same time?"  
  
Leo nodded, before running off.  
  
When he was out of hearing distance, Rebecca's happy smile turned into a frown. "Whatever you say Leonardo. I still believe that you are being emotionally abused. No matter what you say, _that_ is the solid truth. And nobody should be abused. Especially not a good-hearted person like you, Leonardo."  
  
Rebecca sighed, looking up at the stars.  
  
"Just bear with them a little longer, Leonardo. It'll be over soon."  
  
.......................................................................................  
  
O.O  
  
That girl's creepy.  
  
Everyone: nod.  
  
If anyone's wondering if Emotional Abuse exists, well, it does. I read it in many books and it's all there. Also, I know it for a fact, because I get Emotionally Abused by my parents. Oh, well. Life goes on.  
  
Read and Review please!


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning**: Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity' --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Many thanks to those who reviewed. I will update most of my stories as soon as I can. Right now, I need a break.

* * *

Leo ran across the silent park of New York, searching for the place where he had agreed to meet Rebecca.

And as he turned on a corner, he saw her. Rebecca was sitting on the same bench, under the light she had been sitting on yesterday.

"Hey!" Leo called out, slowing to a walk.

Rebecca, who was wearing the same thing as yesterday, turned around and smiled at him. "Hey Leo!" She called back. "I wondered when you'd be showing up!"

"Sorry. I kinda got into another fight with my brothers and Sensei sort-of had to punish us for that."

"Ouch. I'm sorry."

"Nah. It's okay." Leo replied, sitting down beside Rebecca. "So, how are you?"

Rebecca smiled. "I'm fine...my parents were too drunk to abuse me today, so I got to sneak out early."

"That's great!"

Rebecca smiled a happy, but a secretive smile. Leo didn't notice.

"Wow! The sky's so pretty tonight!" He whispered looking up at the night sky.

Rebecca nodded. Then she turned towards Leo. "Do you know how to dance?"

"What?"

Rebecca laughed. "Do you know how to dance?" She repeated. Leo scratched his head. "Umm...no...sorry." He replied sheepishly.

Rebecca giggled. "That's okay. I'll teach you!"

Leo looked confused as Rebecca reached beside her and took out a mini-cd player.

"I kinda had to sneak this from home, but my parents won't care." She explained, turning it on. Then she held out her hand as an invitation.

Leo hesitated for a second, before taking it.

Both of them jumped down from the bench and moved a bit further away from it as music began to play. (since I can't add lyrics, pretend that the lyrics for _Concrete Angel_ are here.)

Rebecca smiled as she took Leo's other hand. "I love this song." She whispered. "It fits me so much!"

Both she and Leo began to do a slow waltz (I think that's the dance when you twirl round and round, right?). Rebecca was doing the waltz in a graceful manner, and Leo trying to mimic her moves.Leo began to get the moves of the dance. He smiled. _  
_  
Rebecca caught his eyes and smiled as well. _  
_  
"It's a very pretty song." Leo said.

"Yeah." Rebecca answered.

Rebecca smiled a sad smile at the last line, before twirling again.

"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked to Leo. He had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking." Leo answered, stopping the dance. Rebecca stopped as well.

Leo finally couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry!" He blurred out. Rebecca looked at him in surprise before she understood.

"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm really glad that I've met you. Yesterday and today have been great!" She said. Leo looked at her. "Really?"

"Really."

"I'm glad."

Rebecca smiled and plopped down onto the grass. Leo plopped down beside her.

"Are _you_ okay?"

Leo looked at her surprised. "Huh?"

"You've got a troubled look on you again. Something's troubling you and it's not me."

Leo laughed. "Oh! It's nothing."

Rebecca sat up and glared at him.

"Okay! Okay! Maybe it isn't nothing." Leo answered smiling. Rebecca dropped her glare and quietly asked, "It's your family, isn't it?"

Leo flinched. "Yeah. Remember what I told you yesterday?"

Rebecca nodded.

"Well, it's been going on like that for the past few months. And since I'm the elder brother, I'm expected to take care of my family. Now don't get me wrong, I'm fine with that..." Leo quickly added. "I mean...Sensei spends most of his time either teaching us or looking for food. And well...he doesn't really have time to play with us or put us to bed or stuff like that."

Rebecca nodded again to show she understood.

"And, well, I'm sort-of expected to do all that. I mean, to entertain my little brothers, put them to bed, make sure they don't do anything stupid, and at the same time make sure to do all the house-hold chores. Mine, since I'm the eldest, I am usually expected to do the laundry _(well, when there is any)_ and make the food, for Sensei isn't usually home in time to do that. Plus I have to make sure we all do our daily training and stuff, make sure all chores get done properly, break up any fights between us, chase after my brothers when they sneak off. And well, the next thing I know is that it's time for bed. And I got nothing that I wanted to do on my own, done.

"But now, my brothers have taken the bad habit of running off when chores are needed to be done, leaving me to do them. Because if they don't get done by the time Sensei arrives home, he'll blame me for not disciplining them enough and give me extra chores to do. I mean, I maybe the eldest, but I'm also expected to be perfect in everything!"

Rebecca winced. "Ouch. Must be tiring."

Leo nodded. "Real tiring."

Rebecca gave him a sympathetic look. "Looks to me like you're being mentally abused."

Leo looked at her. "What's that?"

"Mentally abused is like being emotionally abused. You know, when people expect too much of you, and force you to try to reach goals that are impossible. Like being perfect. No one can be perfect!"

Leo scratched his head. "Nah. I don't think Sensei would do that to me! I'm just being overly sensitive!"

Rebecca shook her head. "No. I don't think so."

Leo glared at her. "Sensei would **_NEVER_** abuse us!" He yelled, making Rebecca wince. "Whoops. Sorry Rebecca. I guess I just got a little angry. Didn't mean to yell like that..."

Rebecca smiled a small smile. "Nah. It's okay."

Leo smiled in relief and looked up at the sky. "Sorry Rebecca, but I've got to go. But I'll be back tomorrow 'kay?"

Rebecca nodded happily. "Same place, same time?"

Leo nodded, before running off.

When he was out of hearing distance, Rebecca's happy smile turned into a frown. "Whatever you say Leonardo. I still believe that you are being emotionally abused. No matter what you say, _that_ is the solid truth. And nobody should be abused. Especially not a good-hearted person like you, Leonardo."

Rebecca sighed, looking up at the stars.

"Just bear with them a little longer, Leonardo. It'll be over soon."

* * *

O.O

That girl's creepy.

Everyone: nod.

If anyone's wondering if Emotional Abuse exists, well, it does. I read it in many books and it's all there. Also, I know it for a fact, because I get Emotionally Abused by my parents. Oh, well. Life goes on.


	4. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer_**: Read the Prologue for it. =P  
  
**_Warning_**: Major angst for everyone  
  
This takes place when the turtles are 12.  
  
_'Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)  
  
Oh,  
  
Boogalaga: My answer is No. =P  
  
_.........................................................................................._  
  
Leo sighed. Master Splinter was on another one of his rounds to search for food. Meanwhile, Leo had been given the task of making sure that his brothers cleaned their rooms.  
  
Leo took a deep breath and walked into the living room to where his brothers were watching T.V.  
  
Clearing his throat, he spoke up. "Guys, Sensei wants us to clean our rooms, _so_ get going!"  
  
"Aww!!! We just cleaned our damn rooms!!" Raph muttered.  
  
"_Language_ Raph! And that was a week ago... _Now get going_!"  
  
With a lot of groaning and moaning, the three turtles slinked off to their rooms.  
  
Leo watched them go to their rooms before turning to go to his room.  
  
_...........................(ten minutes later)_  
  
Leo smirked as he looked around his room proudly. He was done.  
  
Now he had to go check his brothers' rooms.  
  
Walking to Raph's room, whose was the nearest, he knocked before opening the door.  
  
And did a double take.  
  
Raph's room was not clean at all. If anything, Leo could've swore that Raph didn't even touch his room. "RAPHAEL!!!!!!!!!!!" He yelled, "GET IN HERE AND CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!!!!!!!" Leo waited for a minute before realizing that Raph wasn't coming. Leo groaned and quickly went to Mikey's room, only to find that it was in the same state as Raph's, maybe even worse. Donny's was the same.  
  
Leo dropped his head and let his shoulders sag. They had waited until he was busy and then sneaked off again.  
  
No doubt to return right before Splinter arrived.  
  
Leo contemplated leaving the rooms in their current state, which would definitely earn punishment for his younger brothers.  
  
But at the same time, he'd get punished as well for letting his brothers sneak away, and at the same time, not having control of his brothers' actions. Leo winced. That was definitely worse then his brothers' punishment.  
  
Sighing in defeat, while vowing that this will be the last time his brothers would do this, he set to clean their rooms.  
  
_..............................(an hour later...messy rooms no? LOL)_  
  
Leo sighed as he viewed his completed task with some pride. Everything was clean and neat. Looking at the clock, Leo realized that it was almost time for Splinter to come home.  
  
And as if on cue, his brothers stumbled in, laughing and bickering.  
  
"Oh! Hey Leo!" Mikey said casually, plopping down in front of the T.V.  
  
Raph and Donny followed his suite, while still giggling. Leo growled.  
  
"How many times have I told you NOT to sneak off like that???" He began to rant. "Besides, you all left your rooms dirty and I had to CLEAN it for you!!!! Now, what have you all to say for yourselves??"  
  
Raph waved his hand at Leo. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Leo. Now could you keep it down? We're watching T.V here."  
  
The other two turtles didn't even bother to say a word. They were watching T.V.  
  
Leo growled in anger, but said nothing for at that moment, Splinter walked in, carrying a bag full of food and supplies that he had managed to gather.  
  
Leo sighed and walked to help Splinter put away the bag-full of things.  
  
_........................(ten minutes later)_  
  
Splinter had gone to lie down for a few minutes in his room, since today had been very challenging for him to find _anything_.  
  
His brothers were still watching T.V, and Splinter had asked Leo to make lunch.  
  
Biting back a sigh, Leo complied. It wasn't a big deal really. He'd been doing this since he was old enough to walk on two legs. 'Well,' Leo mused, 'maybe not that long ago...'  
  
Leo laughed quietly at that thought, before climbing onto the counter to reach the plates. 'Sometimes,' He mused, 'I wish that the plates weren't this high up.'  
  
But there was only one cabinet, and it was located high above the counter. Leo opened it and began picking out plates.  
  
Suddenly, he felt dizzy.  
  
Then, darkness.  
  
_........................(meanwhile)  
_  
Donny was making his way to the kitchen to ask Leo when lunch is going to be ready. He did feel a little guilty about ditching Leo like that...but he just shrugged it off. They had been doing that for a few weeks now.  
  
Suddenly, Donny was jolted out of thought by a huge 'CRASH' from the kitchen. Donny did not hesitate, but ran straight into the kitchen.  
  
And almost got a heart attack.  
  
Leo was lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious, with five broken plates scattered around him.  
  
Donny heard running footsteps, and a moment later, Mikey and Raph appeared in the kitchen.  
  
"Don! What was that?" Raph asked, before seeing what Don was staring at.  
  
"Oh god..." He whispered.  
  
Donny jolted out of shock and rushed to his brother's side. Kneeling next to him, he began shaking him. "Leo! LEO!" He yelled, when suddenly he felt something wet on his hand.  
  
Holding it up, he saw that it was covered with red.  
  
Looking down, he saw that Leo's left arm was covered with red as well.  
  
"Oh god!" He yelled, before turning to the other two turtles. "MIKEY!!! GO GET MASTER SPLINTER!!!! AND HURRY!!!! RAPH, GET A TOWEL!!!!"  
  
Both turtles jumped into action. Mikey ran off to Splinter's room, while Raph rushed forward and grabbed a towel, before kneeling down beside Donny.  
  
Both of them immediately held the towel over Leo's open wound and pressed down hard on it.  
  
Moments later, they heard footsteps and Splinter appeared in the room followed by Mikey.  
  
Splinter took one look at the situation, before kneeling down beside Leo. Inspecting the wound, he sighed in relief. It was not deep, but bled very badly.  
  
"Donatello!" He barked, while taking the towel and wrapping the wound. "What has happened??!!"  
  
Mikey began to cry. Raph shrugged. Donny shook his head. "I don't know. I just heard a loud crash and came running into the kitchen to see this..."  
  
Splinter nodded, before lifting Leo off the floor. "Raphael, go get the first aid kit. Hurry!"  
  
Raphael nodded and ran off. Only to return minutes later with a small white box in his hand.  
  
_........................(two hours later...)_  
  
Leo groaned before opening his eyes. He blinked. He was in his room, lying on the bed.  
  
'How did I get here?' He thought, looking around. 'All I remember was being on top of the kitchen counter...'  
  
"Are you all right, my son?"  
  
Leo jumped at the sudden voice. Snapping his head towards the voice, he saw Splinter sitting in a chair beside his bed.  
  
"Yes, Sensei." He whispered, before trying to sit up. Suddenly, pain shot up his left arm.  
  
Splinter immediately pushed him down. "No. Do not try to get up. You have suffered an injury."  
  
Leo blinked before looking down at his left arm. It was bandaged up pretty tight.  
  
Seeing the way he looked, Splinter explained. "You have passed out again my son. But this time, you have also been injured by a piece of broken porcelain."  
  
Leo glanced up at his teacher. Splinter looked expectantly at him. "I am concerned." He continued.  
  
"Concerned for your well-being. Why have you been passing out like this?"  
  
Leo shook his head. "I really don't know, Sensei."  
  
Splinter sighed.  
  
_.................................... (Later that night)_  
  
Leo and Rebecca sat under a big tree to get shelter from the rain. It was raining pretty hard right now and showed no sign of letting up. Leo, meanwhile, had told Rebecca about his little fainting spell.  
  
Rebecca gave him a sympathetic look, and placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort.  
  
"It will be okay." Was all she had said.  
  
Leo sighed and smiled at her.  
  
Rebecca looked up at the sky. The moon flickered up from a small space between the clouds. It was a crescent moon.  
  
_......................................................................................._  
  
Hmm......  
  
That girl is something all right. But what?  
  
And why is the moon so important?  
  
Why is Leo fainting?  
  
And why am I asking this when I already know the answers????  
  
Find out when I update......... until then: Read and Review please! 


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: ** Read the Prologue for it. =P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity' --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

..........................................................................................

The next day, once Splinter had made sure that Leo was well (no fevers, etc) he let Leo up, but forbade him to train at all. (Leo: "But Master Splinter!!!!!") To ensure that, he took away Leo's swords.

The other three turtles, once they found out that Leo was quite fine, took to believing that Leo was just doing this to get out of training much to Leo's surprise. They (once Splinter was out of site) began to NOT do their chores and instead, making more mess for Leo before ditching him.

Leo, as a result, had arrived in the park to meet up with Rebecca, sad and tired. What had happened, as he told Rebecca, was that he couldn't get the chores done and that caused Splinter to be disappointed in him and angry that he couldn't control his brothers. It got worse because his brothers believed that he did this on purpose and were harder to control than ever.

....................._**(later that night)**_

Leo had gone home earlier, since he was too tired to do anything else. He had apologized to Rebecca and promised to her that he'd stay longer tomorrow.

But as soon as he crawled into bed, he fell into a deep sleep (which was unlike him),

never noticing that next to his bed something was shining bright blue.

Leo shifted in his sleep when he felt something touch his forehead, but he did not wake.

....................._**(the next morning)**_

Leo groaned and opened his eyes with difficulty. He was _soooo_ tired for some reason. All he wanted to do was crawl back under the covers and go to sleep. But Leo shook his head. No. He couldn't do _that_. After all, who would get breakfast done, make sure that Splinter leaves without trouble, wake up his brothers, make sure they eat breakfast and wash their teeth, and above all that train and do the chores?

Leo sighed. It was going to be a _loooong_ day.

....................._**..(few hours later)**_

Leo groaned in irritation. His brothers had not only ditched him _again_, but they had also made sure to make more mess for him to clean up!!!!!! It had taken him about an hour to clean all the mess up. Now all he had to do was start-making Lunch.

Leo checked the clock. It was only 10 o'clock. He still had time. Leo yawned. He'd take a nap.

Before Leo could have thought otherwise, he was already lying down on the couch and half-way asleep.

After a few minutes, he was already in a deep, deep sleep. So naturally, he didn't notice a faint blue glow beside the couch.

Leo shifted as he felt cold, clammy fingers touch his forehead. But he did not wake.

....................._**(fifteen minutes later)**_

Leo groaned as he opened his eyes. He had to wake up now. He needed to start making lunch.

Leo stood up before his knees buckled underneath him, causing him to fall down onto the floor. Leo blinked and his brows knotted together in confusion. 'What the shell?' He thought, as he shakily stood up again, this time holding onto the couch. He felt suddenly so weak...as if his body was made of concrete......

Leo shrugged it off. 'It's probably nothing.' He thought as he made his way to the kitchen, still a bit wobbly.

.......................................................................................

O.O

Something's definitely wrong......

Everyone: DUH!!!!!!!!!! But you never told us what!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL. Of course. I want you to keep reading, right?

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. =P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Whew. I'm so tired. My life's going down the drain. Turns out we're moving, (for the goddamn fifth time!!!!) I'm starting school, had a fight with parents, had a fight with relatives, etc.

Oh well.

**..........................................................................................**

Leo sighed as he heard his brothers sneaking out again. "What are you all doing?" He asked them, but they ignored him. They seemed to be doing that a lot now. But Leo wouldn't give up. "You guys know that we're not supposed to go up to the surface!!!!"

Raph growled at him, his eyes flashing with annoyance. "So? Whatchya gonna do about it, tattle-tale to Splinter?"

Leo shook his head. "No. I'm gonna go with you."

Donny scoffed. "We don't need you!"

Leo stared. Donny was always the more quieter and nicer one. He always readily accepted Leo's decisions and never said anything **that** mean about them!

All three turtles turned to go, but Mikey paused. "Sometimes you're too annoying, Leo. Can't you ever just leave us alone?"

With that, Mikey turned and trotted after his two brothers, heading for the surface.

Leo stared in shock after them, blinking back tears. _That_ had hurt. That had really hurt. He was only trying to make sure that they don't do anything stupid...

He sighed. Splinter wasn't home yet. And most likely he wouldn't be home for a good five hours more. It was summer and lots of people were out and about.

Leo hesitated. If he went and told Splinter, then he'd be in trouble for not being the 'elder brother' and stopping them. But if he did find Splinter, then that would take some time and what if his brothers got into trouble? Then he'd be in trouble for not being there to protect them.

Leo sighed again. He hated being the elder sometimes. He always had to be perfect and strongest. A model for his younger siblings. He _cannot_ afford to make mistakes.

He'd have to go after them to make sure they didn't do anything stupid.

**...........................(on the surface)**

Leo quickly found his brothers. Years and years of running after them did serve their purpose in tracking them. That, and his unusual knack of finding things did come in handy at times.

"We shouldn't be here." He voiced. Raph huffed.

"You just _had_ to come, didn't you? What, don't you trust us enough?"

Leo let his shoulders drop. "Not out here."

Raph clenched his hands into a fist. He turned to face Leo. "Well, no one **asked** you! Can't you just fuckin' leave us be?"

"Language Raph!"

"I don't fuckin' care! You're not Splinter!"

"No, but I'm your elder brother!"

Don and Mikey had to hold Raph back from jumping onto Leo at that. Don shot a glare at Leo.

"Fine! If you wanna come, then we can't stop you." He said, before letting Raph go and turning around.

Raph huffed before stomping off after Don. Mikey shrugged and skipped off after them.

Leo let his head drop. Maybe he shouldn't be here...no. He thought. I _have_ to be here. I **need** to watch over them!

He followed them silently.

**........................(few minutes later)**

Leo looked around. They were in a human cemetery. This was the first time he'd been here. And the way his brothers were acting, this was their first time as well.

Leo walked over to the nearest tree and sat down, keeping an eye on his brothers as they were jumping around, playing.

Suddenly, Mikey let out a happy yelp. "Raph! Don! Look what I found!"

They quickly rushed over and from the looks of it, they were pleased with it. Leo sighed and stood. Better see what they found.

He quickly made his way over and looked over their shoulders at what they found. It was a small statue.

Leo had heard about people who sometimes made little statues of angels to remember those who passed away. This must be one of them. He thought.

He could see why his brothers liked the statue so much. It had a small, but very pretty face. It was upturned. But it was sad for some reason...

Suddenly, Leo paled. He stared at the face before looking down at the small slab of stone where they put the name.

The person had died a month ago. By the date, the person was young, only twelve. The same age as all of them.

Leo froze. He paled even more, but he looked at the statue's face once more. The face reminded him of someone...

Leo thought for a second before realizing who. Rebecca!!!

The angel statue reminded him of Rebecca!!!

He gulped before looking down at the name. The last name was chipped off, but the first name was still there. And it was Rebecca.

Leo closed his eyes. Now he understood why she had liked that song Concrete Angel so much. Pieces of the song began coming back to him.

_A statue stands in a shaded place,_

Leo looked around. The statue was standing in a shaded place.

_An angel girl with an upturned face,_

The statue was an angel girl, with her face upturned.

_A name is written on a polished rock,_

Her name was written on a polished rock,

_A broken heart that the world forgot._

She _was_ forgotten to the world, Leo realized. The **living** world. She was dead.

_Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone,_

_In a world that she can't rise above,_

_But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place where she's loved,_

_Concrete Angel......_

She _was_ a concrete angel...He realized.

Leo suddenly felt immense sadness. Poor girl, he thought. He looked at the statue again.

Suddenly, he felt weak. Then, darkness.

**...........................**

Don was listening to his brothers argue about whether or not to keep the statue and take it home. Mikey wanted to, but Raph thought that it was ugly.

Suddenly, Don heard a faint 'thud' behind him. He whirled around.

"Leo!!!" He cried, seeing his brother lying unconscious on the grass behind him.

Both Mikey and Raph stopped bickering. Mikey quickly knelt beside Leo and tried to wake him. Raph just stood over him, looking angry.

"Leo! For god's sake, this ain't funny!!!"

Donny glared at him, before checking Leo's pulse. Leo was very pale.

"He's not joking Raph!" He growled at him. "Something's definitely wrong with him!"

Raph looked confused. "Wrong? There's nothing wrong with him! Splinter said so!"

Donny shrugged. "Splinter could be wrong..."

Mikey looked at Donny, wide-eyed. Don ignored him before looking at Raph. "Go get Master Splinter!"

Raph shook his head, looking worried. "Uh, uh. We'd get in trouble!"

Donny glared. "Well right now, Leo's the one in trouble! Get Splinter!!!"

Raph hesitated before running off.

**..................**

Raph ran down the sewer tunnels, searching for Splinter. Stupid Leo! He growled angrily to himself. He's gonna get us in trouble again!

But he couldn't help feeling worried for him. Why'd he keep fainting?

Suddenly, he heard something move in the shadows. Raph froze, contemplating whether to run, scream, or fight.

Before he could choose, a voice rang out from the shadows. "Raphael! What are you doing here?"

Raph almost laughed in relief. It was Splinter! "Master Splinter! I'm sorry! ButwewentuptothesurfaceagaindespiteyourordersandLeotriedtostopusbutwewentanywaysandLeofaintedagain!" He said hurriedly, hoping that Splinter only caught the last part. No such luck.

Splinter's ears twitched, indicating that he was angry, but he said, "Where?"

Raph gulped and lead the way.

**..................**

Donny was really anxious. He knew they were in trouble, but he was more worried for Leo. He was fine. Leo had no fevers or anything that would or could have him just faint like that.

Suddenly, he heard running footsteps approaching. Both him and Mikey stood up, ready to defend Leo from whoever was coming. But they dropped their stance when they saw Raph and Splinter.

Splinter's ears were twitching. Don bit back a groan. They were in deep trouble.

**..................**

Splinter had to hold himself back from exploding right then and there. He had TOLD them over and over again WHY not to go to the surface. And they DELIBRATELY went against it.

But there was other important matters to attend to right now. He thought, lifting up Leonardo. He quickly made his way back to the Sewers.

He didn't need to look behind him. He knew that his other sons were following.

**.....................**

Leo groaned as he opened his eyes. He had never felt so weak in all of his life!

Blinking, he looked around the room. He was in his room. Suddenly, he felt immense happiness bubbling inside of him. Maybe it was all just a dream!

But his eyes caught the look on Splinter's face.

And he knew that it wasn't a dream. And that he was going to get it.

**..................**

Leo sighed as he lay in bed. Splinter had ordered him to be bedridden for the rest of the day. They still couldn't figure out why he was fainting all the time.

Leo groaned. His head hurt. Splinter had spent the last half an hour yelling at him about how he should be a model and watch over his brothers and on and on and on.

Leo felt like he just wanted to break down and cry. Why'd he have to be so goddamn perfect all the time? Couldn't he just have a little break and do something he wants for a change?

Raph had looked in a few minutes ago to bring him some herbal tea, by order of Splinter. They had gotten yelled at as well, and ordered to train for the rest of the day as punishment. Leo, in his current condition, was excused.

Raph had looked as if all he wanted to do was jump at Leo. But he had just gritted his teeth and snared at him. "You have to be so goddamn perfect don't ya?" He had hissed. "We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you! You did this on purpose didn't you?" He had accused. Leo had been too stunned to answer.

"Don't try to deny it! You fainted on purpose so that Splinter would come, and we'd get punished but you'd be excused!" Leo was about to argue, but what Raph said next shut him up.

"I hate you!!! You know what??!! I wish you just fuckin' died and would leave us alone!!!"

Leo stared up at the ceiling. He felt tears trickle down his face as he remembered that. He made no move to wipe them away.

**........................(That night)**

Leo and Rebecca were sitting on a bench again. Leo hadn't felt like playing much. He hadn't felt like talking either. So he had just sat and listened to Rebecca chattering happily away beside him.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore. "You're dead, aren't you?"

Rebecca froze. "What?"

"You're dead...aren't you? Don't lie, please."

Rebecca hesitated before looking up at the sky. "You saw my grave, didn't you?"

Leo nodded, staring at the ground.

Rebecca sighed. "Yeah. I died a month ago."

"So all that stuff you said, about your aunt and uncle coming in three days was all a lie?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No. They did come in three days. But the night before they arrived, my parents were drunk. Really, _really_ drunk. I tried to sneak away, but they caught me and beat me. They beat me and left me by the wall of my room. I would've been fine, but as my dad started to go, he turned and threw a beer bottle at me. It hit my head. I died five minutes later."

Leo looked at her. "I'm really sorry, Rebecca." He whispered, sincerely.

She smiled before looking back up at the sky again. "My aunt and uncle arrived the next morning to find me dead, my mom had gotten into a car crash and died, and my dad had committed suicide. They had buried my mom and dad, but had built the statue of an angel for me. They knew that my favorite song was Concrete Angel, and that I liked angels."

She sighed. "But it's okay now."

Leo looked at her. "Why can't you, you know, move on?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't know."

Leo looked down at the ground. "Do you mind, if I stay with you? You know, keep you company until you can move on?"

Rebecca looked at him surprised before grinning. "I'd like that."

Leo grinned back.

**..............................(three hours later)**

Rebecca smiled. Leo had kept her company for three hours before he had to leave.

She had lied. She knew why she couldn't move on yet. The Gates of Heaven could only be opened when the Angels extend their hand.

She looked up at the moon. It was a crescent moon. Just a thin little crescent.

And the Angels would soon extend their hand.

**..........................................................................................**

Ouch. Don, Raph, and Mikey were definitely out of character. Sorry!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Oh, and NOTE: Leo is a bit out of character, and so is everyone else. Maybe to you guys and the creators, they are out of character, but to me, this is the way I can imagine them. Maybe because I put so much of myself into the main character...

Just go along with this, 'kay?

* * *

It was raining. Leo knew because the sewers were over-flooded. But he didn't mind.

After all, he viewed rain as tears.

Unshed tears. (A/N: I do too...)

Leo sat in the sewers, far from the floodwater, but still near enough to watch the water flow.

He knew he shouldn't be here. Splinter was out searching for more food and supplies and had directly ordered him to stay in bed. Splinter still couldn't figure out why he kept fainting.

Leo sighed. He had no idea why either, but somehow he was _glad_ that he fainted at times. Because whenever he fainted, he didn't have to deal with the outside world anymore. All around him was just darkness. Nothing else.

And in some weird, cynical way, it was comforting.

Leo sighed again, before feeling something wet trickle down his face. A tear. Leo had to chuckle at that.

He hadn't cried in such a long time...

Leo let out a shuddering breath. He was so tired nowadays. Not physically, but mentally.

His brothers were still angry with him for his last fainting spell. Raph strictly believed that he had done it intentionally, and took to plainly ignoring him. Worse, whenever Leo asked him to do something, he would glare at him, and begin to yell about how Leo is like a slave driver. 'Always ordering us around!' He had said.

Leo grimaced. He didn't think that he was _that_ bad. True, he may order them around a bit, but it's nothing serious. Only like cleaning your rooms, do your training, etc.

Besides. He couldn't remember _ever_ driving anyone, especially Raph, around.

So, Leo had just stopped asking Raph to do anything. For some reason, his will to fight was gone.

Raph had taken this as a victory. Sadly, he now became bent on 'giving Leo a taste of his own medicine' so he said. He began to order him around, like a maid, making more mess for him to clean up, and getting him into as much trouble as possible.

All in just two days.

And Leo never complained. Part of it was because he, being the eldest, was taught to not complain about situations and instead hold his tongue. Be the elder model. Be the one who stays silent and obedient even in the worst situations.

Another part was that Leo just didn't have the will to fight anymore. He just felt too tired to complain, too tired to fight, too tired to resist. It was easier to comply.

Leo bowed his head and cried.

* * *

Rebecca looked at Leo sadly. She knew he was suffering. He was much more tired. The way he walked, the way he talked, and the way he looked all supported it.

She threw her head up and looked at the moon. The moon was almost gone. It was only a small little line.

Tomorrow. She thought. Tomorrow, it will be _time.

* * *

_

Leo groaned. He had gotten home late. He had spent too much time with Rebecca. And Raph had caught him. Raph, thinking it would be a perfect comeback, told on him.

Now he was standing in front of a furious Splinter.

"LEONARDO!"

Leo snapped his head up to look up at Splinter.

"Have you been listening to what I have been saying, at all!"

Leo didn't say anything, only dropped his head. He was suddenly so sick and tired of it all. He just wanted to stomp and cry and run to his room, slamming the door behind him.

But he held himself back. He was a role model. He couldn't behave like a _child. _Or occasionally, Mikey or Raph.

His brothers were standing behind Splinter, watching him. Raph had a triumphant look plastered on his face, Don had a surprised look, while Mikey had a sleepy yet scarred look.

"LEONARDO!"

He heard Splinter snap at him, again.

Leo didn't even bother looking up at Splinter.

"You know better than to sneak up to the surface! Especially in your current condition! How dare you! After all the times I have told you NOT to go to the surface, you STILL disobey me! What kind of example do you set for your brothers! What if you had been seen!"

Suddenly Leo couldn't take it anymore. Something in him just snapped.

"So? What if they had seen me?"

He spoke softly, barely audible. But the effect on everyone was tremendous. His brothers stared at him, a mix of fear and surprise. Even Splinter couldn't control his surprise.

"What?"

Leo looked up at Splinter. "I don't care. So what if I went to the surface? I didn't do any harm! And no one saw me. Why can't I do something that I want to do for once?"

Leo knew that that was not really true. He _had_ been seen, but at the same time, who had seen him was already dead...

Splinter stared at him, his face still showing immense surprise before slowly changing into anger.

"Leonardo! How dare you think of such a thing! You know perfectly well—"

But Leo cut in. "So? Nobody got hurt! Nobody was in any danger! So what if I wanted to have a little bit of fresh air once in a while!"

"LEONARDO! This is unacceptable!—"

"And? What if it is?"

Leo heard gasps coming from his brothers. But he ignored them.

"And? So what? I just wanted to go outside—"

"THAT is _not _the point!"

"Then what _is _the point! You allow the others to go outside but not me! Why is that?"

"Leonardo, you know _perfectly_ well that I _do not _allow your brothers to go outside! The same rule applies to them as they do to you!"

Leo suddenly snapped at this.

"Oh they do, do they!" He growled, his voice lowered to a threatening tone.

Splinter stared at him. So did his brothers. But Leo was past all that. He was so goddamn tired of it all.

"Oh they do, DO THEY! YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK! I THINK THAT YOU ARE WRONG!"

Leo yelled, blinking tears furiously back.

"I AM JUST SO SICK AND TIRED OF IT ALL! YOU KNOW WHAT?" Leo suddenly rounded to Raph. "Raph, congratulations. You were right all along. I should just goddamn fuckin' die, AND THEN MAYBE I'LL LEAVE YOU ALL ALONE! ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANT!"

Leo suddenly rounded to Splinter. "ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU ALL WANT! BECAUSE IF IT IS, THEN CONGRATULATIONS!"

By this time, Leo was crying. But he was way past caring. "CONGRATULATIONS, BECAUSE NOW I WISH THAT I WAS FUCKIN' DEAD! THAT I NEVER _WAS _BORN! THAT I NEVER EXISTED! I HATE MYSELF AND THE GODDAMN FUCKIN' LIFE I LEAD!"

Leo finished, and stared at the others, as if daring them to say anything.

Splinter let out a breath. "Leonardo..." He began. "Go to your room. Go there, and DO NOT COME OUT UNTIL I SAY OTHERWISE!"

Leo stared. Did Splinter just ignore all that he had said? Or did he just not care?

Leo felt his heart break at that. He turned sharply and marched automatically away to his room, and slammed the door shut.

As soon as he closed the door, Leo sank down onto the floor. Splinter didn't really care.

Splinter didn't care...

Leo felt as if he had been hit with a ton of bricks. He was too shocked to even cry. He couldn't think, he couldn't feel, he couldn't cry.

He was numb to the world.

* * *

Splinter sat in a meditative position. Maybe he had been too harsh on Leonardo...

Maybe he had...

But Splinter knew that as long as both he and Leonardo were wound up about the past events, they could not talk. They would not listen to each other willingly. If any.

But was this really how Leonardo felt?

Did he really wish to die?

Or was this just another one of the things that people say when they are angry?

Splinter sighed. He hoped that it was the later one...

* * *

...**(A few hours later, around dinner)**

Leo sat in the darkness. Donny had come into his room, saying that Splinter wants to see him, but Leo just out rightly refused. He was not in the mood.

_I want to die. _He thought. _I want to just die and fade away from this world. My brothers don't need me. Sensei does not want me. I am just a bother. A nuisance. It would be better if I was gone._

The space beside his bed began to glow a faint blue. Leo raised his head and watched intently, debating on what action to take, when the glow began to outline a person. Suddenly, Leo's world went black.

* * *

...**(Meanwhile)**

Mikey hesitated with opening the door. Leo was in a bad mood right now, but Splinter had sent him in order to get Leo out of there and join them for dinner.

Mikey took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Splinter, Raph, and Don were all seated at the table, waiting on Mikey to return with (hopefully) Leo.

When suddenly, they heard a scream and a second later, Mikey tore into the kitchen, wide-eyed with fear.

"Master Splinter! Master Splinter!"

Splinter stood up. "What is it Michaelangelo?"

Mikey hopped from one foot to the other. "I swear, Master Splinter. I swear I'm not lying! But there's this weird girl standing in the room glowing blue, and Leo's lying by her feet! I swear!"

Raph was about to say something, but Splinter raised his hand. "Raphael. Enough. Michaelangelo, what is this all about? This had better not be another joke..."

But Mikey shook his head frantically. "I swear it's not! Really, Master Splinter!"

Splinter at this frowned. "A girl glowing blue...?" Suddenly it all clicked. "Oh Kami-sama! (Lord god/goddess)" He whispered, rushing into his eldest son's room.

Raph and Don looked at each other before following.

* * *

Whew. That took a while. Oh well.

R&R PLEASE!


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. =P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I updated!!!!

_**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**_

Splinter burst into Leonardo's room in a state of panic, followed closely by Mikey, Donny, and Raph.

The group stopped and looked around the room in surprise. There was no one there.

Raph turned to glare at Mikey, who was standing with his mouth open. "Mikey..." He growled warningly. 

But Splinter raised his hand. "Raphael! Shush!"

Raph looked up at Splinter, and was surprised to see that Splinter was looking around the room as if searching for something.

"Master Splinter...?" Don questioned, looking at Splinter as well.

But Splinter just raised his hand again, before suddenly gasping.

"Leonardo!"

That's when the turtles noticed their elder brother lying in the corner of the room, unconscious.

Mikey gasped and rushed to Leo's side, and began to shake him. "Leo! Leo! Wake up! WAKE UP!!! Master Splinter..." He looked at Splinter, "Why won't Leo wake up?"

Don kneeled next to his brother and checked Leo's pulse. Leo's hand was cold and clammy, and his pulse was faint.

"Master Splinter...?"

Don asked as well, looking at Splinter, wide-eyed. "Why won't Leo wake?" Don asked again.

Splinter was about to answer, when something behind them answered for him.

"Because I don't want to."

Splinter and Raph whirled around, while Don gasped and Mikey 'eep'-ed.

There, behind Splinter and Raph, stood Leo.

Raph cocked his head before looking behind him at the unconscious Leo, then at Leo who was standing in front of them. "Leo?" He questioned, before looking at Splinter. "There are two Leos??? I always thought there was one!!!"

Splinter did not take his eye off of Leo as he answered Raphael. "There is only one, Raphael."

Raph stared before looking behind him again. "But...but...?"

Splinter smiled sadly. "Look, my sons."

The three turtles looked at Leo and saw that he was outlined by a faint, blue line.

Mikey yelled and hid behind Donny.

Raph's jaw dropped. "Leo??!!"

Splinter sighed. "Leonardo."

Leo looked up at Splinter. He was not smiling.

"Why have you left your body?"

"Because I wanted to."

The answer was short and right to the point. Leo did not smile at them. Only stared at them with a cold expression. Raph shivered. He never had seen Leo act so cold towards them.

Splinter, however, did not seem fazed by Leo's sudden change in character.

"And why's that, my son?"

Leo didn't answer, instead, to the right of them, someone else did.

"Because I offered to."

Splinter, and the turtles turned quickly to see who spoke. Mikey suddenly yelled. "Master Splinter!!!!!! It's that weird girl!!!!!"

Because in front of them, stood a girl, glowing faintly blue. She had a pale but pretty face, long brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She wore a dark-blue nightgown with a pair of torn jeans underneath.

And she was glaring at them.

Splinter's ears twitched. "An Effluoerro." He whispered, looking at the girl with a mix of pity and sadness.

The three turtles looked at him in confusion. "What's that?" They asked him.

Splinter didn't look at them, but explained. "An Effluoerro. A Forgotten Wanderer. They are children, who died after some sort of abuse. They wander the Earth for a month, finding and befriending others who they feel are being abused, before offering to take them."

"Take them where?" Mikey asked, a hint of childish naivety in his voice.

"Take them to the gathering of others like them on the night of a New Moon and to wait for the Angels to open the Gates of Heaven."

Raph cocked his head. "And? Why's that so bad?"

Don paled. "Because, Raph. Once someone passes through the Gates of Heaven, they won't ever come back."

Seeing the look of confusion still on Raph's face, Don explained. "They die."

Raph's eyes widened.

Mikey looked at Splinter in confusion. "But what does she have to do with Leo?"

The girl answered instead. "I've offered him to come with me to the Gates."

Mikey looked at her. "Why, Lady?"

The girl scoffed. "Name's Rebecca, and I think you all know the reason."

Mikey opened his mouth to ask, but Splinter held up his hand.

"Enough Michaelangelo. Leonardo," He started, looking towards Leo. But Leo just shook his head.

"No." He whispered, walking towards Rebecca. "I don't want to listen. I'm tired, Sensei. I'm sorry, but I wanna go."

Splinter's eyes widened, before raising his voice. "Leonardo..." He said warningly.

Leo looked at them apologetically. "No. I can't stay here anymore. I'm sorry. I'm tired of being the maid of this household. I'm just tired of it all. I can't bare it, I'm sorry."

He looked up at Splinter. A tear trickled down his face. "I know. I failed. I'm the eldest and all, and am supposed to bare this burden, but I can't. I'm sorry, Sensei."

He whispered, before looking at Rebecca. "Let's go."

Rebecca nodded.

Raph got over his surprise the fastest. "No!!! Leo! Wait!"

But Leo ignored him. He nodded back to Rebecca before turning and walking towards the wall which was the only thing separating his room from the outside of the sewers. He stopped before looking back at them. Leo shook his head sadly, before turning and walking right through the wall.

Rebecca followed, but stopped and looked back at them. "I bet you guys are real happy now, aren't you?"

She shook her head when Raph was about to speak. "No. Don't try to defend yourselves. I've been here all along. Watching. Waiting. Knowing. Leo knew. Maybe not consciously, but he knew unconsciously."

Splinter spoke up for the first time. "So you are the reason why Leonardo has been fainting?"

Rebecca smiled. "Yep. Ever since I realized what was going on, I have been here, helping his soul to be less and less connected to his body. Sadly, when that happens, the body becomes weaker and weaker, until it cannot function anymore."

She whispered, nodding towards the unconscious body of Leo, before turning and walking through the wall as well.

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R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: ** Read the Prologue for it. =P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Author stares. Stares. And stares some more.

**_Daaaaaaaaannnnnnnggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_** 63 reviews already and I'm on chapter 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sighs happily.

Anyways. I've decided to update because 1) I'm bored, and 2) OMG!!!!!!! Spootycup!!!! You're in the middle of a _hurricane??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ Well, if my story (for some odd demented reason because I suck at writing) seems to calm you, of course I'll update!

Oh, and sorry that the last part of the story got cut off. Here's the last part: before turning and walking through the wall as well.

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Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha....hack...hack...cough...cough...choke.

Gasps for air....

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.................................Umm...Yeah. The QuickEdit/Preview feature somehow just cut off the ending......_sweatdrop._

Well, I've sent an error report to the staff and hopefully they'll fix that.

Anyways, here's the story.

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As soon as Leo and the girl were gone, Splinter jumped into action. He picked up Leo and put it onto the bed, before turning to his sons.

"Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael. Stay here. I will go after Leonardo."

But Mikey stood up at that. "Uh, uh."

Splinter's eyes flashed. "Michaelangelo..." He said warningly.

But Mikey shook his head and stomped his foot, much like a little kid would do. "Uh, UH!!!!!!! Leo's my big brother and I'm coming!"

Splinter was about to say something, but Donny jumped up as well.

"Leo's my elder brother, too! And if Mikey goes, I'm going!!!!"

Splinter sighed. "None of you are going! You will all stay here and—"

"No!"

Splinter cocked his head towards Raph.

Raph was standing in the middle of the room with his fists clenched and his head down.

"It's my fault that Leo got in this mess!!! I told him that I want him to die, I got him into trouble, and none of this would've happened if I'd just have kept my mouth shut!!!!"

He yelled, finally looking up at Splinter. They were all surprised to see Raph blinking back tears.

"It's all my fault and I'm gonna go after Leo!!!!"

Mikey spoke up at that. "If Raphy's going, I'm going."

Donny nodded. "Me too!"

Splinter looked from one son to another. Finally he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But we have to hurry. Time is against us. The Gates of Heaven will open any moment!"

Raph nodded. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!!!!" He yelled, running out the door, and heading out of the Lair, with Mikey and Donny hot on his heels. Splinter hesitated, before looking up.

"Oh, Kami-Sama! (Lord god/goddess)" He whispered, "Let us not be too late!"

.....................

Leo and Rebecca were slowly walking through the sewers. They walked smoothly and silently, even though the sewers were slippery and wet.

Because every obstacle they came to, they just fazed right through it.

Rebecca was smiling. So was Leo. Suddenly, for the first time in months, Leo felt as if he was free. Truly free. But...he still felt guilty about his family. 'Maybe...I shoulda stayed.' He thought, before shaking his head. 'No. They don't want me around. It's better this way.'

Rebecca smiled before jumping over a piece of garbage. That was completely unnecessary, since she would've just fazed right through it, but still it was fun.

"Cold be body, heart and bone,

After all, it's made of stone,

Doomed to lie on a stony bed,

Where sun is gone, and moon is dead,

But in the wind the dead stars do lie,

Shrouded in darkness, find them cry,

Until the Angels extend their hand,

And take them from this withered land."

Rebecca giggled as she finished singing the song. Turning to Leo, she asked, "Don't you think that the song fits? After all, it does hint of all that has happened, no?"

Leo giggled. "Yep. I really like the 'But in the wind the dead stars do lie, Shrouded in darkness, find them cry' part. After all, you could think that we're the stars. And we are dead. And we're shrouded in darkness. You know, the darkness of our lives? And we cry a lot."

Rebecca looked at Leo. "I never knew you were so philosophical, Leo!"

Leo laughed. "Listening to Don and Splinter a lot, can do that to you."

Rebecca laughed as well. "Yep! I guess. And the 'cold be body, heart and bone' part..."

Leo cut in. "Whenever one dies, the body becomes cold!"

Rebecca laughed again. "Yep! But in my case, I'm buried in the ground with a concrete angel! And concrete is cold!"

She shivered to emphasize her point.

"And the 'Doomed to lie on a stony bed, Where sun is gone, and moon is dead' part?" Leo asked, looking at her.

Rebecca shrugged. "When you're buried, they put you in a coffin. Mine was made of stone for some odd reason. And anyways, my body is 'doomed' to lie on a bed of stone, in other words, my coffin. And when you lie there, the sun is literally gone, and the moon is literally dead!"

Now it was Leo's turn to shiver. "Yesh! I'm glad I've never been buried!"

Rebecca laughed. "But now, 'the Angels extend their hand, And take them from this withered land'!" She giggled. "They say that when the Angels 'extend their hand', they're opening up the Gates of Heaven."

Rebecca sighed happily. "And that's tonight!!!!!!"

Leo smiled as well, before they both turned and crawled upwards on a ladder that would lead them to the cemetery.

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Sorry that was so short. I don't have so much time right now. Oh well, stay in tune!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone!!!! 

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

Authoress stares so much her eyes almost pop out.

_Whistles. **WOW!!!!! 71 reviews already and I'm only on chapter 9!!!!!!!!!**_

Stares happily into space.

_Suddenly readers pop out of nowhere._

_Author: **EEEEEEPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_People-who-just-popped-out-of-nowhere: **UUUUPPPPDDDAAATTTEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_Author: **EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_Authoress suddenly realizes what the readers said: **Oh. Okay!!! **Thinks. **GET OUT OF MY THINKING SPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_Readers: **Ooookay............**_

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"Master Splinter!" Mikey said, panting a bit. They were currently running across the sewers trying to find Leo.

Even though Splinter didn't look at him, his ears twitched backwards, indicating that he was listening.

"How're we gonna find Leo?"

Splinter stopped. Mikey, who was right behind him, almost ran into him, but stopped right before that happened.

Unfortunately, Don, who was behind him, ran into him, knocking him over, and Raph who was running behind Donny, ran right into both of them.

Splinter turned around to look at his sons (who were splattered on the floor). Splinter had a panicky look on his face that he rarely got.

Splinter was about to tell them that he did not know, when suddenly, a sudden gut feeling flashed through his mind. Snapping his head to the left, he saw a ladder leading to an open hole. Splinter suddenly knew.

"Up."

He felt six pairs of eyes stare at him.

"Huh?" he heard Raphael asking, but Splinter paid no heed. He quickly strode over to the ladder and began to climb up.

Halfway up, he looked back at his sons. "Stay here." He told them sternly, half hoping that for once they'd listen to him. But he knew that that was unlikely.

But Splinter left it at that and disappeared through the open hole.

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Raph snorted once Splinter was out of view. "Come on!" He said and began climbing up as well.

His two brothers looked at each other before silently following him to the surface.

On top, they were greeted with a night sky splattered with stars. It was dark, but not as dark as it was in the sewers.

Looking around them, the turtles realized quickly that they were in the cemetery that they had been in before.

Suddenly, in front of them, they spotted Splinter, crouching behind a bush. Quickly, they rushed over.

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Splinter almost smiled when he felt his sons rush next to him. Almost. This was not the time.

All four of them silently watched the scene in front of them with wide-eyes.

&&&&&& (With Leo)

Leo could've laughed. It was so refreshing to stand outside without fear of being caught! The sky was so beautiful!

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Rebecca smiling at him.

"Come on!" She whispered. "Come join the others!"

Leo cocked his head at that. "Others?"

Rebecca laughed. "Yeah! We're not the only ones here you know!" She waved her hand towards a bit further away from them. Leo looked and saw a group of children, about fifteen or more, standing around laughing and chattering.

Leo suddenly felt afraid. So many humans! He drew back. "I can't Rebecca!" He whispered. "They're _humans_. And I'm...well...a _turtle_."

Rebecca smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry!" With that, she dragged him gently towards the group of children.

As they neared, the children looked curiously at them, but didn't stop their chattering. One of them, a girl, broke out of the group and skipped over to them.

"Rebecca! I was afraid you wouldn't make it!" She happily exclaimed, hugging Rebecca.

Rebecca laughed. "I'm glad to see you too, Chloe! Sorry I'm a bit late. I brought someone else along too."

Rebecca waved towards Leo. Chloe took one look at Leo and stilled. The children who were happily chattering away, suddenly went silent.

Leo gulped. He knew that this was a bad idea. Leo turned to flee, when suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Looking back, he saw Chloe holding his arm.

"Wait!" She said. Then she smiled. "It's okay." With that, both she and Rebecca gently dragged Leo nearer to the group of children. They gathered around Leo, all very interested and amazed at what he was.

"Cool!" One boy exclaimed. "Is that real?" Another boy asked hesitantly, looking at Leo's shell.

Leo laughed and nodded. This just fuelled the kids' interest in him. Leo soon found himself laughing and chattering freely with them all.

Then, one boy brought up the subject of how they got here. One girl said that her uncle got pissed at her and slit her neck. She also showed them the cut on her neck as proof.

Another said that his dad choked him to death. A third said that his arm got twisted so hard that it came off and he bled to death. A fourth got stabbed multiple times.

Suddenly, one of the kids turned to Leo. "So, whatchya here for?"

Leo shrugged. "Mental abuse."

The kids nodded in sympathy. "Yeah." One kid spoke up. "I got that too. Finally I got tired of it and committed suicide."

Another kid said that she was the victim of sexual abuse.

Chloe nodded in sympathy. "I got that too." She said sadly.

Leo looked at her sadly.

&&&&&&

Raph stared in surprise. His elder brother was standing in the middle of a group of kids, looking as if he was having the time of his life.

Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt as he looked around the group. Many kids had dried blood on them, while others were missing limbs. One kid even had a head missing!

The group also varied in ages. There were kids from age fifteen to even an infant.

'Leo shouldn't be here...' Raph thought guiltily, looking at Leo again.

He felt Mikey shift next to him. His little brother was staring at it all wide-eyed with horror.

Suddenly, he heard Donny whispering. "Master Splinter?"

Splinter looked at him.

"Why are there so many...?" Don didn't finish, but hinted a little towards the kids.

Splinter sighed. "Because my son. They are _Effluoerros_. Forgotten Wanderers. They were victims of different kinds of abuse and thus met an early death."

Mikey looked up at Splinter. "But why?" He asked, a hint of childish naivety in his voice.

Splinter sighed sadly. "Because sometimes, one does not wish to have a child to look after. So, they find it easier to abuse the child until it dies."

Mikey stared at Splinter with even wider eyes. "Is Leo here because of that?"

Raph snapped. "NO, Dunderhead!" He growled. "Leo's here because we were stupid and took him for granted. I was stupid and I took him for granted!"

Mikey looked at Raph. "So?"

Donny would've laughed at that if the situation was not so grave.

"Because, Mikey," he answered, "We yelled at him too much and made him feel bad. We pushed him away until he gave up."

Mikey blinked before realization hit. "But I don't want Leo dead!"

Don smiled sadly. "I don't think any of us do Mikey. But unfortunately, Leo doesn't know that."

"Then let's go tell him!"

Splinter couldn't help but chuckle. "It isn't so easy, my son. We must—"

Splinter was cut off by as sudden yell from a child. "The Angels!!!! The Angels are coming!!!!!!"

The child yelled, pointing upwards.

Everyone looked up, including Splinter and the three turtles.

One of the stars was glowing bright white. The glow became bigger and bigger, until they realized that the glow wasn't really a glow, but a bolt of light heading straight down to earth.

In a split second, the bolt of white light hit the earth and everyone had to cover their eyes because it was so bright.

Then once the light had receded, they saw one figure standing on each side of a door.

As the light disappeared all together, they saw that the two figures were tall, with pale golden hair, pale as snow, blue eyed, and wore white silk cloth. On their backs were two white wings. They were angels.

Behind them was a door. It was open and it revealed a place beautiful beyond comprehension.

The Gates Of Heaven were open.

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Whoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone!!!!

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! )

Oh and Spootycup:

LOL. I guess it is a fair trade. LOL.

But do I have to update _all of them_?? I'm a school girl!!! High Schooler!!!! Do you think I have time for that?????? No wait. Don't answer to that. LOL.

'Kay, here's first update:

Oh, and this DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERYONE CAN **_BRIBE_** ME INTO WRITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.

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**:Few minutes earlier:**

Leo was laughing along with the kids. He _never_ imagined that he'd be having **so** much fun with _humans_!!!!!!!!

He had completely forgot about his brothers. The group had been so funny and so supportive, that his brothers just faded out of his mind.

Suddenly, one kid who was standing a bit further from them, and had a missing arm, pointed up to the sky with his other hand. "THE ANGEL'S ARE COMING!!!!!!!!"

He yelled, and everyone looked up immediately.

Leo could've laughed. The bolt of light was so beautiful and so calming. He had never experienced something like that in his whole life! Leo saddened. His brothers had been fun when they were young. But since he was the eldest, he needed to grow up faster to help Splinter. He still played with them, but he spent some of his extra time helping Splinter here and there.

Then came the last few months. His brothers had started to realize that Leo wasn't really the brother that they remembered, and had started to drift apart from him. So now, they looked at Leo as another parent who wanted to control them.

That was what really fueled the last few months.

Suddenly Leo realized that the bolt of light had hit the ground and light suddenly flashed through them all. It was so bright that Leo had to shield his eyes. But at the same time, the light was so calming. It beckoned him and called to him, made Leo want to go to it. It was almost like a drug.

And as the angels came into view, Leo knew. The Gates of Heaven were calling for him. It was _time_.

He could hear the kids next to him shift as they watched. They were impatient, Leo knew. So was he!

The place was so beautiful, so calming, so _free_! Free of everything. Pain, suffering, you name it.

Suddenly, one of the angels opened its arms, as a gesture for the nearest child to come to it.

The child gasped but obeyed. Slowly he walked to the angel. The angel smiled down at him and hinted for him to go through the door. The child looked back once, smiled, and passed through the door, disappearing from view.

The angel smiled back at them before nodding. The other children slowly approached the Gate, before one by one, they passed through the door.

Chloe, Rebecca, and Leo held back. Chloe looked back at them. She smiled. "I'll wait for you Rebecca! Oh," She said, looking at Leo. She smiled. "Don't be afraid!" She whispered to him, before running to join the last few people at the door.

Rebecca smiled. "Chloe was the one who found me. She kept me company for a few months before offering to take me. I refused, but she stayed with me anyways. Then, while I was dying, Chloe appeared and offered to take me again. That time I accepted." Rebecca looked at Leo. "Then I met you!"

Leo laughed gently, before realizing that the angel, who was silently standing by the other angel, was staring at them.

Leo suddenly felt panic. The angels were human, and he was well...not human. Would they let him through?

The angel looked at the other, who was busy helping the last few children through, before making its way over to them.

Rebecca smiled shyly as it approached them. The angel smiled gently at them, before looking at Leo.

Leo gulped. Why was the angel staring at him so? Did it just realize that he wasn't human? Fear gripped his heart as he saw the angel approach them even more. Maybe it was coming to tell him to go home...

But suddenly, the angel held out its hand towards Leo. Leo blinked before looking up at the angel. It was smiling at him, almost as if silently telling him that it was all right.

The fear Leo felt disappeared immediately. Leo smiled shyly as he took the angel's hand.

**:With the turtles' and rat's viewpoint:**

Raph almost lost it when the angels began to lead the children through the Gates. It was all he could do to hold himself back from running there, grabbing Leo, and dragging him back home. But he knew that that would only make things worse. Much worse.

But things got worse all by themselves, Raph figured, as he watched one of the angels near his brother. He began to growl. Get the shell away from _my_ brother!!! Raph thought as he gripped the ground harder.

He felt Mikey and Donny squirm next to him as they all watched the angel extend its hand to Leo.

But the real shocker came when Leo TOOK the hand.

AND SMILED.

"That's it." Raph muttered under his breath, before jumping out from their hiding place. Splinter reached to grab him, but Raph ducked under his reach and ran to Leo.

**:Back to Leo:**

Leo whirled around as he heard something running towards him. Both the angel and Rebecca turned as well to look toward where the sound was heard.

Leo gasped. It was Raph. Then two seconds later, Mikey and Donny shot out as well, following Raph.

Then Splinter appeared from behind the bushes, looking sad.

Leo cocked his head. Why were they here? Why weren't they off celebrating that he was dead? Or did they still need a maid?

Suddenly, Leo felt the angel shift and before he could even blink, the angel moved in front of him, as if shielding him from his brothers.

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Are you happy Spootycup? 'Cause I am!!!!!!!! Mwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and **_NO BRIBING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_** LOL.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone!!!!

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! )

Oh, and don't worry people. There is only one more chapter after this. No more cliffhangers, I promise. _Sighs_. End of a great story. So sad.

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Raph screeched to a halt when the angel stepped in front of Leo. Looking at the angel, Raph expected a mean look or something, but instead, the angel's face was sad.

"Move outta the way!" Raph snapped at the angel, but the angel just stared at him.

"Raphael!"

Raph winced at the harsh tone Master Splinter used. "Yeah?"

Splinter moved to stand a bit further from the angel, but to be right next to Raphael. "You know better than to talk like that!"

"But Master Splinter...he's in the way!" Raph growled, pointing to the angel.

"Mind your manners, Raphael. And yes. I see." Splinter said, looking at the angel. "May I speak with my son?"

The angel cocked its head before looking down at Leo who was hiding behind him. Then, the angel looked back at Splinter...and shook his head.

"That's it!!!" Raph growled and was about to jump at the angel, but Mikey and Donny held him back.

Splinter ignored his sons. Focusing on the angel, he asked, "Why?"

The angel looked at him sadly, before looking down at Leo. Leo, who had his head down, finally looked up at the angel, but avoided Splinter's eyes.

Splinter understood. "You are a Guardian Angel, are you not?"

The angel looked at Splinter before nodding sadly.

Raph stopped fighting to be let go. Donny relaxed his hold on him and instead looked up at Splinter. "What's that?"

Splinter sighed sadly. "Guardian Angels are those that guard something. This one, however, guards those children whom have been abused or so."

Mikey looked from Splinter to the angel. "But we don't want to harm Leo. He's our brother!"

Splinter looked away. "It is not the angel we need to tell. That is for Leonardo to know." He whispered.

Raph looked at Leo. Leo tightened his hold on the angel's white cloak, keeping his head down.

"Leo?" Raph questioned. Leo bit his lip, but looked away. "Can we talk to you?"

Splinter looked up at the angel while Raph was asking that. "May we talk to him?"

The angel looked down at Leo, but nodded gently. However, the angel refused to leave.

Splinter asked again. "May we talk to him, alone?"

The angel looked down at Leo again, and this time shook his head. Splinter sighed, but nodded. "Leonardo, listen my son. We wish to tell you—"

Leo shook his head.

"Leonardo, if you'd listen—"

But Leo shook his head even more furiously.

Raph got angry. "Leo! Goddamn it! Listen for a goddamn minute!!!!"

The angel stiffened, and Splinter glared at his son before telling him to watch his language. But Raph ignored all that and continued.

"I've had enough of your stupidness!!! You're gonna fuckin' listen to me, whether or not you wanna! 'Cause we didn't come all this way to listen to your shit!!!!!"

Leo blinked back tears. For a second there, he had really believed that they wanted him to come back. But that last part that Raph had said, crushed that tiny little hope. "Raph," Leo whispered, not looking at any of them, "Just shut up."

Raph stared. He didn't even realize that his mouth was hanging open. Leo had never, ever, told him to shut up before! Quickly getting over the surprise, Raph spoke up, "Leo—"

He never got passed that. Leo's head shot up towards them, and they could see tears making their way down his face.

"Just SHUT UP!!!!!!!" Leo yelled, looking as if he was going to break down any second. Nobody knew what to say. Even Splinter was speechless.

Leo ignored that. He had finally snapped. "I have had enough of you and your mouth Raph! I don't know how I put up with you for the past few years, but I managed. I don't know why your like this, what you have against me—"

Raph growled and broke in. "For god's sake! The fact that your always ordering us around!"

"True, I do that, but it's minor things!"

"No it's not! And anyways, your always pushing us around, bossing us,--"

"That's what you do Raph!"

"I don't! Tell me once when I've done that!"

"Okay! Why not make it a hundred times! 'Cause that's how many I've got!"

"Why you...--"

Splinter cut in at that. "ENOUGH!!!!—"

But Leo was too far gone to be stopped. "NO! IT'S NOT ENOUGH SENSEI! I'M TOO GODDAMN TIRED!!! I'M TIRED OF CONSTANTLY BEING THE MAID OF THE HOUSHOLD, BEING THE 'ELDER BROTHER' WHO HAS TO BE PERFECT, BEING THE ROLE MODEL, BEING BEST AT EVERYTHING!!!!!! WHY CAN'T I JUST BE NORMAL FOR ONCE!!!!!! I WANT TO LAUGH AND PLAY AND DO MY OWN THING ONCE IN A WHILE!"

Leo looked at them, sobbing now, but he continued. "It doesn't have to be all the time..." He whispered. "Maybe once in a month or a year or something. But I just want to do what I not someone else, want to do." Leo looked pleadingly at them, but when no one said anything, he continued. "I don't know. I kind of was hoping that you guys would show up tonight. And when you did, you have no idea how happy I was! But it just seems that you just want someone to take care of you. To cook, to clean, to watch over you, and all. A maid." Leo sighed, feeling fresh tears trickle down his face. He stared at the ground, not bearing to look up at the faces of his brothers and teacher.

Raph was speechless. He had no clue that that was how deep the situation was...

Beside him, he felt Mikey shift. "But we don't want that Leo..." Mikey said, cocking his head.

Leo looked at him sadly. "Then what is it you want?" He snapped.

Mikey flinched but answered sincerely. "We want our elder brother back."

Leo chuckled sadly before shaking his head. "Maybe a few minutes ago I would've believed that. But now..."

Mikey shook his head furiously, but it was Donny who answered. "But it's true Leo! Really!"

Rebecca, who was watching the whole thing silently, suddenly scoffed. "Like you'd really expect him to believe that??!!"

Raph glared at her. "You, shut up. You—"He pointed at Leo, "will listen."

Raph took a deep breath. "Listen, cause I'm only gonna say this ONCE." Raph took another breath before continuing.

"Okay, I admit it. I was a goddamn jerk. But I'll admit, I was jealous that you were all perfect and all, so I guess I went a bit overboard..."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Guess?"

"Okay!!! So I went overboard with it!!! But that's not the point!!! The point is that I'm sorry for being a goddamn jerk to ya, sorry for not thinking about your feelings and whatnot, and sorry for being a horrid little bro to ya! I'm sorry okay! Truth is that I love ya and am glad that you're my elder brother, even though you get on my nerves and all. You are always there for me and you're always sure to fix my faults and help me out in stuff!"

Donny nodded before speaking up. "I agree with Raph. You're always there for me too! Whenever I need help with something, you're always there. Whenever I'm down, you're always there to help me get better."

Mikey nodded in agreement.

Leo was speechless. Looking at his brothers, he could see that they were telling the truth...should he go back?

Suddenly, Splinter spoke up. Leo snapped his head up to look at Splinter.

"My son," Splinter began, and Leo was surprised to see a tear trickle down his teacher's face, "I too, owe an apology. I have pushed you far too much. Far too hard. And far too fast. And am very sorry for that. I never realized how it affected you. I was thinking too much of myself, and just telling myself that this was the right path. I was blind, I admit. And for that, I am so very sorry."

Leo looked at all of them before asking. "Do you really want me back?"

Raph smiled weakly. "Why else would we be here bro?"

Leo smiled before looking up at the angel. The angel cocked its head and looked down at him. Leo nodded and said, "I wanna go home."

The angel smiled. Not a sad smile, but a true happy smile. It bent down and picked Leo up. Leo giggled.

Raph made a movement, but Splinter held him back. "It is okay, Raphael. Leonardo must go home a different way then us. Since he is an Effluoerro, he must travel back differently. You see, my sons, Effluoerros are really spirits who wander along the border of Life and Death. Each time they leave to go meet another Effluoerro, they leave their body behind unconsciously. They may not realize that fact, but each time they go, their body is left behind and it seems to us as if they are merely sleeping; when in fact, their spirits are wandering."

Splinter looked down at his sons. "Come, let us go home."

Raph looked back up at Leo. Splinter smiled gently at him. "Come, Raphael. Leonardo will follow."

Rebecca smiled happily. "I'll miss you!" She called to Leo. Leo nodded. "It was fun. We'll meet again!"

Rebecca nodded, before looking at the turtles and rat. "And it better not be soon, or else I'll come back to earth and give ya'll a piece of my mind!" She growled at them, before smiling and laughing. Looking back at Leo, she nodded. "Good Luck!"

Leo nodded. "You too!"

Rebecca laughed. "You're gonna need it more!" She said, nodding towards Raph. "You have to put up with them!"

Raph growled. "Hey!"

Both Leo and Rebecca laughed before waving farewell to each other. The other angel came over and took Rebecca's hand, before gently leading her to the Gates. Rebecca waved goodbye before she and the angel disappeared. The Gates immediately flickered and faded.

Leo looked at his brothers before mouthing 'see you soon!' and both he and the angel disappeared.

&&&&&(few minutes later)

Leo groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt so weak! His body felt cold and stiff. Opening his eyes, Leo almost got a heart attack. (A/N: and he dies...that would be ironic! LOL)

His brothers were all crowded around his bed, staring at him.

Raph grinned as soon as Leo opened his eyes. "Welcome back bro!"

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Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only the Epilogue to go!!!!!!!!!!

Wait. No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means the story will be finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	13. Chapter 12 Epilogue

**Disclaimer: ** Read the Prologue for it. P

**Warning:** Major angst for everyone!!!!

This takes place when the turtles are 12.

'_Dreams can give wings, but if enough is enough, then they can be the gateway to eternity'_ --My own quote (you'll understand later.)

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! )

HELLO!!!!!!! BACK WITH THE EPILOGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Leo yawned. Checking his watch, he did a double take. It was eleven in the morning!!!!

It had only been yesterday since he almost died, and he had immediately fell asleep after he had woken up. He had been so tired! But still!!! IT WAS ELEVEN IN THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was supposed to be up and at it already!!!!

Leo paused before he opened his door. Silently praying to whoever was listening against that his brothers had forgotten all about yesterday and he was back to being a maid...

Leo opened the door and opened his eyes. And stared.

The hallway was clean for once. Looking into Raph's room, Leo stared some more. Raph's room was clean! Mikey's and Donny's were clean also! It was as if it was all a miracle!!! Now all he had to do was pray it wasn't a dream....

Leo walked into the living room and did a double take. Donny was there, cleaning the room, Raph was practicing without him having to tell him to, and Mikey was setting the table. Leo stared. "Okay, who are you all and what have you done with my brothers?" Leo asked, trying not to panic if that was true.

Donny laughed. "Nothing Leo! We just had a talk with Splinter and decided to take some stuff off of your hands."

Seeing the surprised look on Leo's face, Donny giggled. "And this isn't just a one-day thing, I promise Leo. It's gonna be permanent."

Leo cocked his head. "Really? You guys are serious?"

Raph nodded, walking to stand next to Leo. "Yep. We kinda feel really bad about what happened, so we kinda thought that this would help..."

Mikey nodded, before looking at Leo. "But your still gonna have to cook most of the time, 'cause well..."

Donny finished for him. "Mikey tried to make toast and managed to set the toaster on fire." Don glared at Mikey. "And now I have to make a whole new one!"

Mikey shrugged. "Sorry bro. But you win one you lose one!"

Leo laughed. "Thanks guys. Really."

Raph shrugged. "No sweat. Just promise you'll never do that again, 'kay bro?"

Leo nodded. "Promise."

&&&&&

That night, Raph had sneaked into Leo's room to make sure he was still there. Next morning, Splinter had to go in search of his sons', and ended up finding them all curled up in Leo's room, next to Leo.

That had gone on for a few weeks, before they finally convinced themselves that Leo wasn't going there. But they still made sure to watch out for Leo and help him out whenever they could.

Mikey slowly began to learn to cook, but whenever possible, Leo took over, since Mikey cooking wasn't that good. But now, happily, Donny didn't have to make a whole bunch of kitchen tools to replace the burnt ones...at least not all the time...

Leo chuckled at those memories. That had been years ago. But Leo still liked to remember them. It always reminded him where he belonged. After all, now was when his family needed him the most. The Shredder was back and they needed him to lead them.

Leo sighed and closed his eyes, before opening them and looking up at the night sky. Every month, on the night of the New Moon, he would go to the cemetery. There, he would look for the concrete statue of the angel, and leave a flower there.

After all these years, he still hadn't forgotten Rebecca. After all, it was she who had helped him through the darkest part of his life, helped him heal, helped him know where he belonged, and she had become his closest friend, all in a matter of a few days. And he was grateful for all that.

The song, Concrete Angel, had become one of his favorites. His brothers weren't all that happy about it, but they bore it. After all, they had almost lost a brother and Leo couldn't blame them for not being happy about the song that reminded them of that.

Leo suddenly felt someone watching him. Turning around, he saw a child. The child looked afraid all of a sudden and drew back. He had an arm missing.

Leo looked sadly at the child, but smiled gently. He waved at him.

The child gasped, and looked behind him, before realizing that Leo had waved to him.

The child smiled wearily and waved shyly back.

There was a bolt of light right then, and Leo backed away. But he looked back, and saw two angels standing there, leading other children through a Gate. The children looked curiously at Leo, but smiled and waved to him. Leo chuckled and waved back.

The child to whom he had seen first, moved to the back of the line and approached the Gate shyly. He caught Leo's eyes though.

Leo smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, before whispering 'Good Luck!'

The child looked surprised before laughing silently and fading through the Gate. Then, the Gate faded out of sight.

Leo suddenly, heard running footsteps from his left. Moments later, Raph appeared. "I thought you'd be here." He growled, but smiled.

"As I always am." Leo answered, smiling back.

Raph nodded towards the small clearing where the Gate had been. "They've gone already?"

Leo knew whom Raph was talking about. The Effluoerros. Over the years, they had been surprised to find out that Leo could see them, while his brothers could not. Leo supposed it was because he had been one of them. He nodded.

Raph sighed.

There was a tense silence before Raph spoke up. "Come on. We'd better go before the Foot find us."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. Let's go home.

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WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PRONOUNCE THIS STORY **_DONE!!!!!!!!!!!_**

One less story to update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R&R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my other stories too!!!!!!!!!! Don't abandon me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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